Akwa Ibom Isong-ooo!

Given the importance of culture, as the total way of life of a people as expressed in the economic, social, technological and political institutions like other Nigerian people, Akwa Ibom people documented their experiences through oral traditions.

The preservation of their history was important to the people, being the vital link between their present and their past. This has assisted the different groups to define their identity and transmit same to their children. Thus codification, preservation and transmission of these traditions occurred at different levels of the society- at family, lineage, village and at clan levels.

Akwa Ibom State is a home of culture. Their rich homogenous nature is expressed in their cultural outlook. To this end Akwa Ibom people have four distinct cultural characteristics that affect and direct their behavioral patterns. These include the following; Pre-occupation with the supernatural; concern for good morals; Rebellion against injustice and Belief in a strong family system. These four characteristics influence their music and dance. Therefore when music and dance is being talked about, in reality we are referring to the general role they play as instruments of social control.

Therefore, in order to understand the cultural and social role of the music of Akwa Ibom people, four major elements of their music becomes imperative, namely; the Folk songs, musical instruments, orchestras and dances.

Music and Dance
Culture is not just food or arts and crafts; it is the totality of the way of life of a people. In the culture of Akwa Ibom people as among other Nigerian nationalities, songs, dances and masquerades are basic media of individual and group expression. In the state, choral music forms one of the most important media of self-expression and social self-evaluation. It is used to raise the moral tone of society, promote positive values and discipline. These are rendered in both English and Vernacular and can be very entertaining and instructive.

The unique rich and vibrant music and dance of the state can be categorized as follows;

Folk Songs
Akwa Ibom State uniquely is rich in folk music and dance; symbols play very important roles as they relate to the process of adjusting the individual to the traditional social order in which one is born. Melodies are most commonly used, but one unique thing about the melodies of Akwa Ibom music is that it is the only part of Nigeria that makes use of three-note-melody (Tritonic scale). The melodies are either ritualistic or non-ritualistic. The ritualistic type consists of praises to a particular ancestral god. While the non-ritualistic music is purely for entertainment, here the melodies become more improvisatory and humorous.

It is normally played in social celebrations such as a marriage feasts, birth of a new baby or elevation in social status. Folk songs are also used as a means of communication through a masquerade. For instance, in the Mboppo, after a girl has been confined for some weeks in Ufok Mboppo (a place where virgins are cared for) up to a period of two months, and taught the rudiments of being a good housewife and mother among other things, a masquerade visits the girl. If she has not grown fat he robs a charcoal on her. But if she has grown fat, the masquerade rubs her with Ndom Otong (white chalk) and sallies forth to the village square to sing her praises and pour invectives on the unfortunate virgin that did not respond to the Mboppo (fattening) treatment. A masquerade is used for this purpose because no one attacks a masquerade and moreover whatever he is saying in the song he would not say in spoken language.

Musical Instruments
The musical instruments used in the state are the same with the ones found in other parts of the country but differ from its functions and social context. One of the interesting instruments used by Akwa Ibom people in the music and dance is the Iquot (Frog). This instrument is used in non-ritualistic orchestras to add colour to their ensemble. This is most popular with the Ekpri Akata orchestra which operates at night. There are also the four-note Xylophones used for communication.

The four notes in the instrument enable the player to talk to the community, imitating the rise and fall of human speech. Another special instrument used by the people is one called Ekere (twin gong) a ritual gong used for ritual ceremonies. There are two types of this musical instrument, a large conical one called Nkwong and a smaller one called Akankan. Another ritual rattle is the Ekpat Obon used by the Obon secret society. There is also the Ekput used by diviners to invoke the spirit of the ancestors. Another rattle instrument which is produced from raffia is the Nsak which produces a bell rhythm when played. Other important instruments include the Ikon Ikpa, a small set of drums of pantomimic expression used by Ekpo society; Ikpa Mboto the thumb piano and Anana a musical bow rarely seen today. Though there are no flutes however their absence is made up by the existence of a horn-like trumpet called Oduk made from horn of ram. The Ikon Eto (wooden xylophone) and Obodom (wooden drum) are also popular instruments in the State.

These are orchestral which produce notes that are not (unlike in western music) in direct relationship with one another but blends to produce a distinctive rhythm that excites the dancer into exotic performance.

Orchestra
The type of music indigenous to the people is assembled in form of orchestra. Like the folk songs they are both ritualistic and non-ritualistic. There are orchestras strictly made for masquerades like Ekpo, Ekpe and Obon; as well as those performed at special non-ritualistic social cultural functions.

These orchestras are symbolic in nature. For example the orchestra that accompanies the Oko men’s dance group, played at the burial of a prominent old man in the village. The Uta (gourd horn) orchestra is made up of four gourds (Uta horns) named after a mother and three sons- Eka Uta, Akpan Uta, Udo Uta and Etukudo Uta. Among these orchestras the ones that are distinctive to the State are the Uta orchestra played to show belief in a strong family system; the Nyama or Uso orchestra a functional orchestra played in loud tone when necessary to prevent a girl on whom Clitoridectomy was being performed without any anesthetic from screaming or making noise, as she is expected to endure the pains in silence as a mark of her readiness to enter the Mboppo fattening room; and the Ekpri Akata performed by young men in the night in a village informing members of the misdeeds in the society. They act as community newspaper, exposing fornicators, murderers and other undesirable behaviors in the society.

Dance
All dances in Akwa Ibom are generally in harmony with the body and in response to the rhythmic beat of the player(s). They are either ritualistic or non-ritualistic. There is the Leap Dance, the Stride Dance and the Close Dance which is the most outstanding feature of the Akwa Ibom dance. A typical feature of the Close Dance is free movement of the hips only as opposed to the Stride Dance and Leap Dance where there is a lot of arm and leg movement with occasional somersault example is the Akombo dance.

Dance in the life of Akwa Ibom People is not only a form of recreation, but also serve as an instrument of social control. This is more evidence in the various dances of the womenfolk. Example is the Mboppo dance usually performed once a year during Udua Mboppo, a market day specially set up for outing ceremony of girls who had been confined for some time. A time young girls of marriageable age sought for prospective suitors, take a good look at them and make their choice.

There is also the Ebre society women dance performed yearly during harvesting of new yam. During this occasion, women dance to the market place and neighbouring villages. The dance is not only meant to entertain but as well as deliberate protest against what is regarded as male chauvinism, which is reflected in the vulgarity of some of the song texts.

The Ndok Ufok Ebe (means maltreatment in the hands of a husband) is another women dance to express their grievances over maltreatment of women by their husbands. The dance is performed once a year. It is accompanied by songs telling the community about their plight, often, it involve going topless to the market place.

Nkerebe (looking for husband) is another women dance, performed once a year when young girls at the age of puberty prepare to perform the Mboppo ceremony.

Asian Ubo Ikpa and Asian Mbre Iban are dances performed by maidens who wish to inform unmarried men of the community how beautiful and eligible they are. Other women dances include Akan, Asamba and Uwok which is performed in the villages occasionally.

Asian Uboikpa, means the pride of the maiden. This dance is performed by maidens between the age of 18 and 25 who have successfully gone through the ‘Mbopo’ institution. Mbopo being the period a girl is confined, flattened and drilled on all aspects of home management in preparation for marriage. It is common in almost all the hinterland (Local Government Areas) of the State. Performed by maidens at their prime. Asian Uboikpa, therefore, is in its visual appeal celebrates and affirm the youthful innocence and purity in their beauty, while showcasing the popular admonition among the Akwa Ibom people that chastity once lost is lost forever.

The lyrics in Asian Uboikpa primarily reiterate what these girls were taught during Mbopo (fattening confinement) such as Esang Garri Ewara Ubok home management, Ukama Eyen Ikake Eka childcare among other home theme songs. Asian Uboikpa is usually performed during the outing ceremony of Mbopo when the girls celebrate with their mates who have successfully gone through the rigours of fattening room drills. Here the girls display beauty, elegance and grace to the admiration of the spectators whose relations are perhaps potential suitors anxious to choose a wife.

Oko is the male dance which is likened to the war dance because of its ferocious displays. The climax of this dance starts when the dancers’ starts slashing at one another with razor sharp machetes and firing at themselves with live bullets from Dane guns. But mysteriously, not a drop of blood is shed as the machetes cannot penetrate the skin of the dancers, or the bullets hurt any of the members of what is obviously a secret society.

EKPO/ EKPE MASQUERADES
From the pre-civilization era, the Akwa Ibom people used traditional cultural institutions such as Ekpo and Ekpe to maintain order in the society. These institutions stood out as government of the time. Ekpo is founded on the belief in life after death; and it is regarded as the soul or ghost of ancestors that return to the land of the living in masquerade form to participate with their kinsmen in communal festivals such as farming and rites of passage. As a secret society, membership is strictly by initiation; hence, every aspect of Ekpo is designed to strike awe, fear and caution among women and non-initiates.In the pre-colonial era, Ekpo served as the government of the entire Akwa Ibom people performing such functions as judicial, administrative and religious duties.

Ekpe equally falls into the same category. Drawn from the concept of the leopard being King, Ekpe therefore performs the role of Government. Visitors and researchers will be amazed at the stories of the powers and exploits of these masquerades in the enforcement of social norms and discipline.

This is very popular among the riverine dwellers of the State. This is probably due to its relationship with ‘Ndem’ a water related spirit and its associated deities. This explains why Obon is an ensemble performance.

This is a sensational traditional play performed in very few communities in the State. Its awesome appeal is typified by the security role it played in the traditional Akwa Ibom setting. Ubiquitous and magical in role and performance.There are also such institutions for the regulation of moral values among women such as ‘Asian Uboikpa’.

Indigenous Traditional Music
Almost all theaterical traditional performance that are indigenous to Akwa Ibom is an assemblage of the various dramatic elements and as is the case in all other African societies, the element of music and dance are inseparable. These include the following;

This is a cultural society that serves as a powerful medium of disseminating of information in the communities. It has the power to reveal and transmit to the populace secret deeds of men, women and youth in the society, thereby curbing crime and promoting integrity. In this orchestra, the message of the text takes precedence over the music, which is used to attract attention.

Utekpe means spider, and as the name implies, its performance is spider-like in space, using a unique traditional technological approach known only by the initiates. Like the spider its masquerades scale heights on strings, even riding motorcycles on strings up a dazzling height.

The performance of this traditional music is attributed to the belief in purity. Its masks and costumes are of white and sparkling colours, depicting innocent. The music is instrument. Apart from its colourful appearance, the beauty of this performance is in the non-verbal communication between the drummers and the dancers. There are other groups that distinguish themselves either through their exemplary mastery of a particular instrument for example xylophone or what can be referred to as the Total Theatre.